Getting to know the candidates
The three candidates for Yorba Linda’s vacant City Council seat in the upcoming June 5 special election already have made their most cost-effective expenditure in the campaign to get their messages in the hands of the city’s 40,000-plus registered voters.
Former council members Hank Wedaa and Keri Wilson and political newcomer Victoria Gulickson have plunked down $1,000 deposits to include 200-word statements of qualifications in the sample ballot packets to be mailed to all registered voters.
The $3,000 total goes for printing and translating the statements from English into Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese for Yorba Linda voters who request election materials in those languages, with any remaining money returned to the candidates.
For the bargain rate of a bit less than two-and-a-half cents per voter, the contenders are included in a mailing from an official source, the county Registrar of Voters, and their statements are opened and read when residents are most apt to be making their choices.
The three candidate statements, along with a sample ballot, absentee voter application and polling place location, should be in voters’ mailboxes by May 15 at the latest.
An advance look at the statements shows that the candidates did fairly well in describing their past experience, but poorly in outlining specific positions on important city issues.
Gulickson cites 10 years of “leadership in developing, fiscally managing and operating successful, multi-million dollar operations” for Ritz-Carlton and “working with government on both a federal and local county level.”
Wedaa notes “many years of experience” on council and “comprehensive knowledge and understanding of how city governments operate” and says he was an architect of the General Plan, which he’s “always zealously guarded.”
And Wilson lists 26 years of public service as a law enforcement officer and council member and states she’s “proud to have participated in many initiatives that brought positive growth and improvements to our city.”
However, their comments regarding the future are pretty generic, which might be due to the limited number of words, a desire not to offend any particular viewpoint or both.
Gulickson says government and citizens must “continue to work together to support and protect those things that contribute to gracious living,” which are “low density, traffic control, excellent schools and low crime.”
Wedaa contends to know “first hand that families move here because of our safe, low- density and family-oriented community” and claims, “I have been a strong, dependable advocate in keeping things that way.”
And while Wilson doesn’t use the politically popular term “low-density,” she states that she’s “uniquely qualified to take on this challenge of maintaining a gracious community in an increasingly complex world.”
A FINAL NOTE
Although these statements clearly don’t deliver on specifics, they do demonstrate that the candidates are confident of their abilities, and, also important, their words show an eagerness to serve the community.
Gulickson says, “Citizens need to trust that they will be heard. I can deliver that,” while Wedaa notes, “I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I know the right questions to ask” and Wilson says, “It’s not possible to stop the forward movement of an active city.”
Of course, residents seeking detailed positions on key issues must look to candidate night forums, future question-and-answer features in this newspaper and--if we’re lucky--many campaign mailings.
Former council members Hank Wedaa and Keri Wilson and political newcomer Victoria Gulickson have plunked down $1,000 deposits to include 200-word statements of qualifications in the sample ballot packets to be mailed to all registered voters.
The $3,000 total goes for printing and translating the statements from English into Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese for Yorba Linda voters who request election materials in those languages, with any remaining money returned to the candidates.
For the bargain rate of a bit less than two-and-a-half cents per voter, the contenders are included in a mailing from an official source, the county Registrar of Voters, and their statements are opened and read when residents are most apt to be making their choices.
The three candidate statements, along with a sample ballot, absentee voter application and polling place location, should be in voters’ mailboxes by May 15 at the latest.
An advance look at the statements shows that the candidates did fairly well in describing their past experience, but poorly in outlining specific positions on important city issues.
Gulickson cites 10 years of “leadership in developing, fiscally managing and operating successful, multi-million dollar operations” for Ritz-Carlton and “working with government on both a federal and local county level.”
Wedaa notes “many years of experience” on council and “comprehensive knowledge and understanding of how city governments operate” and says he was an architect of the General Plan, which he’s “always zealously guarded.”
And Wilson lists 26 years of public service as a law enforcement officer and council member and states she’s “proud to have participated in many initiatives that brought positive growth and improvements to our city.”
However, their comments regarding the future are pretty generic, which might be due to the limited number of words, a desire not to offend any particular viewpoint or both.
Gulickson says government and citizens must “continue to work together to support and protect those things that contribute to gracious living,” which are “low density, traffic control, excellent schools and low crime.”
Wedaa contends to know “first hand that families move here because of our safe, low- density and family-oriented community” and claims, “I have been a strong, dependable advocate in keeping things that way.”
And while Wilson doesn’t use the politically popular term “low-density,” she states that she’s “uniquely qualified to take on this challenge of maintaining a gracious community in an increasingly complex world.”
A FINAL NOTE
Although these statements clearly don’t deliver on specifics, they do demonstrate that the candidates are confident of their abilities, and, also important, their words show an eagerness to serve the community.
Gulickson says, “Citizens need to trust that they will be heard. I can deliver that,” while Wedaa notes, “I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I know the right questions to ask” and Wilson says, “It’s not possible to stop the forward movement of an active city.”
Of course, residents seeking detailed positions on key issues must look to candidate night forums, future question-and-answer features in this newspaper and--if we’re lucky--many campaign mailings.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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